All About Pocket Knives

hey folks. i have just recently about 3 months ago decided to not onlycollect knives but take them apart to see how they work.

well i have now after 3 months put together an ok shop.
also whats nice is i have done everything with the hands on approach. basically learning as i go the dos and donts.
lots of Rough Rider knives have ended up in th trash! hahahahaha!

i have rehandled knives without taken them apart.that wasnt that hard.
cleaning blades is getting easier.but i still get stumpe3d in that department .i think i need to learn more'
about which steels im cleaning.

i saw orvets trick on taking apart a knife with a razor. its funny because when i went to take a knife apart the very first thing i tried was a razor and ever since then thats what i use.

also i have been able to build almost an entire USA shop. all
my tools are old us made stuff.which i have to say im proud of accomplishing.yardsales here in old philadelphia
have produced many old tools perfect for knifing.of course a few vices,some files,plenty of sandpaper...etc etc.
i do have to admit to using a dremel.its not american made.wish it was but it is one of the best little devices ,at least for me when it comes to knifing.

while your reading this let me know if you as well find yourself using a dremel at all?

anyway i think i will be coming around this section alot more often now.

HERE IS MY PROBLEM TODAY.
i have yet to take bolsters off any knife in anyway.
today i am completely striping a kutmaster barlow down to everything.my problem is
and this may be with all bolsters i dont know-I CANT KNOCK THE OLD PIN OUT OF EITHER BOLSTER.
i have everything seperated but i cant get the old pin out of the bolster in order to put the knife back together.
i have tried everything.it just wont budge.

i also just received 2 days ago a bunch more nice nicholson files. i filed my first sping as well.
doesnt look that great but its a start.im using that spring with this barlow.
i simply just used a ruler,marked where i was gonna file by so many millimeters apart and went to work. sound right?


PLEASE HELP-thanx guys.

which pin, the main pivot pin? sometimes those can get peened in really tight. I usually use a 1/16 or whatever pin punch (just what it sounds like) to drive it out from the back side (the inside, part that usually rubs the blade). If it's flared out from where you cut it with the razor, which happens to me alot, just file it down smooth with the liner, then drive it out with a punch. If you've already done all that, then I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along in a bit

often, the pin holding bolster to liner is actually not a pin per se. it is made as part of the bolster and called a tommy pin.

OH AND YES PIVOT PIN-here is the knife im working on. i put a pic up of it with one side some what finished. i left a piece of the origianl handle between the bolster and stag.the stag is now off again and finishe alot better.the spring im putting back in has been filed.

kutmaster barlow 2 blades. i broke a blade.the smaller of the two.
so this is also my first time trying to turn a double into a single.
later ill pic the bolster so you can see.

john i do know what your saying. pins that arent pins but made to look like.this is definetly a pin.

adam it sounds like i still need more tools.as a matter of fact i know i do. i need pinning tools. reccomendations? i have been repinning knives with just stuff around the basement. keep in mind i have never redone anything yet worth investing in brass or nickle pin gear. i have been using the dremel to finish small nail into pins.
then i drill small starter holes a little smaller then the pin and tap in with a small hammer.

on this knife before i knew i was gonna take it apart again. i just left origianl pins in and filed them down and glued scale.

something else i cant get away with my pin trick putting the blade back in .im actually gonna need a real pivot pin???? or is thier another trick?

like i said i have been doing everything from scratch and tricks.

i wanna get more serious so now im asking for help and gathering real tools instead of using the smallest file i have to tap a pin.ive even started trading knives for tools.restoring is becoming more addictive then collecting.

HEY I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING..now with the bolster loose how would i hold it in place and use a tap to tap the pin out?
all this time i have been able to just pull the pins out with pliers.

restoring is becoming more addictive then collecting.

Brother, you have no idea

Johnnie was onto it. I figured if it wasn't the pivot that was giving you issues, it was the Tommy pin, which is basically the big plug that secures the bolster to the frame. As far as tools go, here's my re-pinning tools. I have an absurdly old ball-peen hammer (never knew what that meant until I started hanging out here ) that used to hang in my granddad's garage. it's, I believe, an 6-8oz hammer. I used to play with it when I was little, now I play with it more both the flat and the ball have been smoothed and polished, so not to leave marks.

On top of it sits a point punch (useful for marking holes, or big, really stubborn pins), and a 3/32 pin punch. Next to that is a set of cheap feeler gauges, with notches cut in them. Those you put in between the knife blade and the frame, around the pin (hence the notch) when you peen that together. the reasoning is, if you didn't use such an animal, a good tight peen would leave the blades unable to move. Using a "slackener" does just that. gives you some slack. Everyone has their own preference, depending on the knife I use anywhere from .006 to .014.

*Edit
there's a thread I did in customized, with a Schrade 51OT that might help to illustrate a bit

by the way fellaz i got those darn pins out. the bolster are a mess now.

1.cradled bolster in mouth of duct taped vice.

2.shaped a piece of steel into my own pin pusher or whatever you wanna call it.

3. what i did once i was able to finally start to see the pin get tapped out was flip the bolster over
and tap it back in. then with it all the way back through went back to the reverse side of the bolster
and used a small pair of pliers to pinch the head of the pin until it was smaller then the hole in the bolster.

4. only took one time with eackh bolster doing that to get it to pop out.

5.bolsters are pretty beat up from not slowing down and thinking things through

6. hopefuly will have the knife back together shortly.

7.once again learned PATIENCE is key when working with a knife in anyway. no matter how may times
i always at some point find myself trying to hurry something that cant be hurried.


thanx guys

Patience is the #1 virtue in knife repair & knife making.
If I don't feel good, I don't work on a knife.
If I get in a hurry I have to quit and wait until I have slowed down.
If I am stressed, I don't work on a knife.

I have to be in the proper frame of mind, especially when doing something creative on a knife.
Otherwise I will mess it up, or only do mediocre work.

Each knife I work on I strive to make the best I am capable of doing at that point in time.

Just the way it works for me,
Dale